FEATURED JOBS
Comments (0)It’s an old pastime at Beth Am to debate the merits of belief in a “personal God.” Perhaps it’s because we have a number of academics who enjoy theological quandaries, or perhaps because Dr. Louis Kaplan, Beth Am’s founding rebbe, famously questioned the existence of a personal God. I wonder, though, if there is another way to frame a conversation about God’s role in our lives. Perhaps it’s more useful to ask, is God relevant?
This week, we read the Ten Commandments including: Lo tisa et she Hashem Elokecha Lashav, “You shall not swear falsely by the name of the Lord your God” (Ex. 20:7). The p’shat (straightforward) meaning of the text is clear: The third commandment demands that we not misuse God’s name, either by stating it frivolously or by perjuring ourselves in court (having sworn a divine oath). Indeed, as Jews, we take great pains to avoid the abuse of God’s name. We bury old siddurim or Torah scrolls when they are no longer fit for use. We describe the abuse of another human being as a “hillul Hashem,” a desecration of “the Name.” Many people even write G-d to signify their respect — a noble custom, though one could also make the claim that not writing a generic English name actually dilutes the sanctity of the Tetragrammaton.
An alternative (and more literal) translation of the third commandment is: “Do not raise up (tisa) the name of God for nothingness.” What does this mean? A story: Once a particular gentleman challenged Rabbi Tzvi Hersch, the chief rabbi of Berlin, explaining to him that there is no need for observing ritual mitzvot. For, he said, it does not stand to reason that the Master of the Universe would pay attention to small (unimportant) matters like wrapping tefillin and the like. What is important (said the man) is the idea; the goal is to “delve into, to contemplate the divine.” Rabbi Hersch responded, “Now it has become clear to me the true meaning of the verse: ‘Lo tisa et shem Hashem Elokecha lashav,’ The meaning is that we should not raise up the name of God to the heights like this. This is a way of making God’s name meaningless and irrelevant.”
Judaism has been called a religion of “pots and pans.” Our tradition is replete with rituals and mitzvoth. Sometimes, it is difficult to discern the relevance of such observances but only if we miss seeing them as part of an elegant framework for sacred living. Jewish traditions keep us grounded. They bind us together and give substance to our understanding of the divine, providing tangible mechanisms for experiencing God in the world. Surely, the Ten Commandments are important, ethical behavior is important and, yes, thinking seriously about God is a good thing. But there is a certain danger in too much speculation and not enough doing. We, unlike God, are physical not ethereal beings. We honor God’s name by “walking” in God’s ways — and that means a Judaism of day-to-day significance, tangible benefit and abiding relevance.
J101
At the top of certain documents and papers authored by Jews, the Hebrew letters of bet, hay — as well as bet, ayin, hay — appear, often in small letters. Bet, hay is an abbreviation for the phrase baruch ha-Shem, or praise is God. Meanwhile, bet, ayin, hay is an abbreviation for b’ erzat haShem, or with the help of God. The custom is to demonstrate that God plays a role in all affairs.
Rabbi Burg serves Beth Am Congregation.